The Place Opened just last month, The Salted Plum is a two-storey shophouse restaurant along Circular Road by the same team behind the now defunct Five Ten restaurant at South Bridge Road previously. Five Ten was a test bed for the team, hence the birth of The Salted Plum which is a name chosen with reference to the ingredient commonly used in Taiwanese cuisine. The setting of the restaurant is simple and no frills, with blue hues walls and wooden tables.

The Food Good value Taiwanese tapas dishes, that summarises the menu of The Salted Plum for me, where the dishes are denominated in 5 and mostly priced at S5 and S$10. I spotted familiar dishes on the menu here which I had previously at Five Ten, though there are also new additions.

We started with the Smashed Baby Potatoes (S$5), deep fried bite sizes sprinkled with salted plum powder. Up next is the Bamboo Shoots (S$5) dish is inspired by chef’s visit to Jiufen in Taiwan, and this version has the bamboo shoots braised in pork broth. This is one of the lighter dish I tried here.

One of the must order dish for me is the Fried Chicken (S$10) with Nori Mayonnaise. The fried chicken here is very crispy and tender, marinated with soy and sesame. The Nori Mayonnaise is very good!

Another equally delicious dish is the Burnt Chilli Chicken(S$10) which is marinated in soy sauce and chilli oil, where the chicken meat has a very slight hint of spiciness on the tender chicken.

One of the dish I didn’t enjoy as much as it’s previous Five Ten rendition is the Steak (S$10) with pickled cabbage. The portions here is significantly less, and I find the steak to be rather dry and bland.

What’s a hearty Taiwanese meal without some pork dishes? The sauce of the Braised Pig Intestine (S$10) goes very well with rice, where I would recommend the Shiny Rice (S$0.50 per portion) to go with it. The shiny rice here is topped with pork lard and garlic oil, hence the glossy texture.

The Lu Rou (S$10) is another dish worth trying. The braised pork belly is soaked in their special house sauce and is very tender, and fatty no less.

For sausage lovers, go for the Taiwanese Sausage Patties (S$10), which is prepared from scratch.

Other dishes we had include the Squid (S$10) with five-spice BBQ Glaze, Brussels Sprouts (S$10) with salted pork and shiitake mushroom and the Haus Bacon (S$10), thinly sliced tender pork meat. Go for the Haus Bacon over the Steak for sure.

For deserts, there is only one option, the Red Tea Jelly (S$5). This is like a deconstructed bubble tea, filled with tapioca pearls and cream.

The drink options are quite value for money too. We had the Salted Plum Juice (S$5/decanter), which is free flow!

Rants The portions for the dishes are generally small, so even though the dishes are mostly priced at S$5 or S$10, you would probably still need to order quite a number of dishes to feel satisfied; not exactly a bad thing since you can get to try a good variety of dishes. Although Five Ten did a better job executing its dishes, sad to note. 

Will I Return Again? The Salted Plum is best enjoyed with a bigger group to try a good variety. Prices are fairly reasonable for its location and it is a decent option if you are craving for some Taiwanese fares.

This was an invited tasting, though all opinions expressed are our own.

TheRantingPanda says:
Taste bud: 3.5/5
Hole in the pocket: 3/5
Ambience: 3/5
Overall Experience: 3.5/5

The Salted Plum
10 Circular Road
Singapore 049366
Tel: +65 6260 0155

Opening Hours
Monday to Saturday: 12 to 3pm; 6 to 10pm
Closed on Sundays

Ranted by The Ranter